Forever Young
by IamTheRaven
Summary: Annabeth reflects on how and why she loves Percy. Kind of sad and romantic. Rated T. R and R, flames welcome.


**Hey. Redone to make less confusing. I know it sounds like a crap fangirl fic the first paragraph but after that it gets really deep. It's not a Percabeth fluff fic, I guarantee. It's actually really dark...*sounds familiar.* Enjoy, and flame if necessary.**

Sun made Percy's hair look nice.

The thought startled Annabeth. Why had she noticed something stupid like that? Could it be a feeling of affection? The thought made her shudder.

Those were far and few between.

"Percy, seriously, why are you taking me out here?"

Percy looked back and tried to smile through his nervousness. She was getting so hard to please; no scratch that, she had never been easy to please. She had told him so herself.

He was afraid of losing her; or at least, losing her friendship. Maybe dating her wasn't such a good idea; it was changing the way they acted toward one another. But the thought of having Annabeth go was really disappointing.

Even though Annabeth was complaining, she was secretly happy to be away from Camp Halfblood. So many kids had been asking for her signature lately it was driving her crazy. She could see pink on Percy's cheeks and something within her stirred. Could it be?

Annabeth had had no idea what she was walking herself into with this... Relationship. She couldn't describe it any other way.

* * *

Annabeth had longed for a quest so badly when she was younger, she had longed for some excitement, some action.

During the war she had regretted that wish so direly; she wanted to be free again. Free with a normal life, with no responsibilities.

Wasn't that what she had now that the war was finally over?

So why wasn't she happy?

Maybe the grass was just greener on the other side of the fence, no matter what side you are on.

The night the war ended, she had slowly strolled around Camp Half-Blood, alone, while the other campers were eating dinner. She had become lost in thought.

About him; about Luke. How many times had she gotten lost in her thoughts about him? It was an annoying reoccurrence.

She had always known he would pull through; he was the hero in the end. She had always known he hadn't really turned evil. But it still troubled her; when he had asked her that question a few hours before.

Had she loved him?

Her heart had stopped. All logic had flown out the window; all sense of Vulcan entirety gone, only leaving her as a flawed, emotion filled human being.

Luke had always done that to her; she could not think clearly around him. She could not exercise logic. It annoyed her to no end; but she knew that these feelings of affection were most likely love.

So had she loved him?

Yes. A million times yes. That is once what she would have said before the war. But... More recently she had begun to think; did she really love Luke the way she thought she had? Or did she love that image, that paper doll of Luke she had made as a child; her hero, her savior?

Did she love Luke of the present or Luke of the past?

And then there was Percy. She had no feelings for him whatsoever, but she had begun to notice; he never left her side the way Luke had. Never ending loyalty. Then again, she had thought Luke would never betray her either. She thought Luke would always be there for her, the way Percy was now. But even her mother had said;

Percy's loyalty was indubious. He would never, ever leave a friend.

Then she would remember the paper doll; after the encounter at May Castellan's, Luke wasn't the same person. He changed into a bitter and resentful boy. He was now a different Luke.

But Annabeth hid behind that paper doll; she pictured Luke as that hero, that boy of her dreams, which progressed into more as she got older. She never tried to know Luke for who he was. She just kept liking the Luke of the past.

Could she have ever stopped him? Could she have lied on that fatal moment?

Did she love Luke Castellan?

He had died thinking the opposite.

It really had troubled Annabeth that final night of the war.

But then she saw him; Percy, sitting serenely at his table. He struck her, sitting there in the moonlight.

She remembered how angry she had been in his absence after Mount Saint Helens; she hadn't eaten or slept while he was away. She had cried for her friend, agonizing over when he would come back. And when he came back, she found out where he had been. After she was so worried, it turned out he had been having a party on an island with a seductress. She had cursed his name.

She had burst into her cabin in a fluster of tears, cursing her emotion filled heart, and picked up the Odyssey again just for the heck of it. An ancient novel, the Odyssey; a story of one of her mother's dearest friends, Odysseus. She read silently for hours. When she got to the part about Calypso, she nearly threw down the book, but then she read that passage...

_"Odysseus, I could give you immortal life. Please stay with me; I will give you all the love you could ask for."_

_Odysseus smiled sympathetically._

_"I know you can never understand Calypso, but I would rather die with my family around me than live forever while they wait in vain for me. Dear Penelope loves me so; even now I am sure she waits patiently for my return, hoping and praying I will make it back. I must go back, Calypso. I must go back for her. I am sorry."_

Annabeth had frozen.

_"I must go back, Calypso."_

For her.

He would go back for her.

Could it be? Could Percy...feel...like...erm.

At inspections, she noticed it for the first time.

Percy hardly glanced at the mail, and as she rolled down the inspection scroll, he looked at her. She had peripheral vision and could see him, though he didn't know it. He had stopped looking at the mail and was staring at her. When she rolled her eyeballs towards him and their eyes met, he quickly looked away and returned to the mail, fumbling with the pieces of paper. Then she noticed something else; a fine line of red etched across his cheeks. That was the day she found out he liked her. It was kind of weird knowing that, but she did. Percy Jackson had a crush on her.

Maybe...Maybe he had come back... For her. Just for her.

The thought broke her heart; why hadn't Luke come back for her the way he had?

It made her bite her lip. She was a composed daughter of Athena, one of sound Vulcan mind, so no one would ever guess what she had fantasized about doing with Luke.

She had pictured them married...She had pictured them kissing.

Then a really weird thought entered her head; she pictured Percy kissing her for a second.

That almost made her squirm in discomfort. Ew...Percy was her friend, she didn't think of him that way!

Then she remembered: she already had kissed him. It was so...weird. Why had she even done that? The moment kept replaying in her head. Agh! Why had she done that!

"Percy Jackson, you are a coward!" she yelled in frustration.

She winced. Whenever she had bad thoughts she took out her frustration on other people.

She had known under the volcano she was probably going to lose him forever. So she had done the first thing could think of. Yes, that's why she had kissed him. Good enough excuse.

Then he had asked for a kiss when he had left in the middle of the war. Where did that confidence come from? She dismissed it, saying "We'll see."

But she kept thinking about it. He really must have liked her a lot. He really must have cared about her.

...

All these memories flashed through her mind in an instant as she watched Percy at his table, lost in thought. He was kind of cute.

Could it be?

Now she realized; maybe she did care for Percy. She didn't like him, but maybe she did care about him. Maybe she had failed to see it all this time because she was hiding behind Luke's paper doll.

Nothing good happens past midnight.

So that weird thought ran through her head again; kiss Percy. But now it didn't seem as weird. He really cared about her, and he wasn't going to leave her again.

He had proven it today. He had given it all up. _He had given up being forever young for her._

She almost felt guilty that she didn't like him back. So she walked over and wished him a happy birthday. And as she watched his antics, the blushing, the stuttering, and the way his eyes glowed, she couldn't help but smile. He was like a little puppy.

So she completely lost her mind.

She kissed him and became his girlfriend that night. The bond was made.

The next morning, she woke up, got some breakfast and then...screamed.

What the heck had she done?-!

She was... Percy's...Girlfriend...?

She wanted to break up with him then and there. She was Percy's friend, not his lover. Weird weird weird! But when she saw his smile that morning, that beaming smile, and the glow of his happiness, she couldn't think of doing that. He embraced her solidly for the first time, in front of everyone. People aww!ed and made kissing noises. Whatever. Wasn't this what she had always wanted in Luke? She had always wanted him to truly love her. So she knew she should have been happy.

But as the weeks progressed, Annabeth grew frustrated. Why couldn't she feel the same way about Percy as she did about Luke? Percy was a much better guy. But...he just wasn't the same.

Percy, on the other hand, was becoming desperate. At night he dreamed of gracing Annabeth's lips, but the only thing that would kiss him was his pillow. Why was she so unreachable? She was definitely unhappy, he knew that much. As he lead her down the steep railroad line, he hoped that they could be alone and maybe then she would kiss him. Maybe he could still make her happy.

It was on the tracks that she noticed Percy's hair. Could it be? Could it be that maybe... Maybe she did love Percy?

She felt the repetitions of her feelings about Luke. Could it be she had loved him?

She was noticing his hair for gods' sakes. And when he turned to look at her and laughed, she felt her heart jump for the first time. Could she return his love for her?

Her head swum for a moment with unanswered questions. Then she fell. She fell off the railroad tracks and down the steep incline.

* * *

"And cut!" the director groaned. Couldn't these punks act? The rocks were in place as well as the set; but they couldn't get the scene right.

"You idiots! The train will be coming now, and the noise will ruin the shoot. We have to wait."

The blonde haired actor raised his hands in appeal.

"Okay, boss. Geez, I'm sorry."

The director was still angry.

"Look at that doll! Your beautiful supermodel blonde skinny rich girlfriend is dead, crushed under a pile of rocks, and you can't even cry. Don't make me regret hiring you, bub! When we come back from lunch you better get this right!"

And so the actors went off to lunch.

* * *

Annabeth hit her head, hard, on a rock.

"OWW!"

Actually, she was surprised she had survived. The trees had cushioned her fall and by some miracle, she landed in a hole.

"Hey, you? What the heck are you doing here?" Annabeth head a familiar voice say.

It was Nico.

* * *

Percy's heart stopped dead at the sound of Annabeth's scream.

He could hear her fall and break on the treetops. The bridge was suspended over a forest nearly a hundred feet below.

There was no way Annabeth had survived.

He raced down the mountainside to the base of the forest.

This was all his fault.

Annabeth had never wanted to go!

He had made her go, selfishly, hoping for a stupid kiss. He had wanted to please himself and hadn't thought about her.

He crashed through trees and bushes, scraping and cutting himself. He loved Annabeth so much! Fine job he had done of showing it.

Percy didn't see the cameras or the lights.

He saw the rocks.

And he saw the blonde head of hair.

The blood.

The scrawny arm protruding from the rubble.

Percy got to his knees.

So this was how it ended?-!

If the director had been there, he would have been thrilled at Percy's reaction and would have used him in the film.

* * *

Annabeth arrived at the hospital a few hours later, shaking.

Percy Jackson.

Slayer of the Hydra. Tamer of the Cyclops. Rescuer of the Golden fleece. The one who bested the most powerful titan of all.

Killed by a car.

Without his mortal weak point, without his sweet Annabeth, his invincibility had disappeared.

It didn't matter anymore.

He didn't want to live anymore.

A car!

Annabeth clutched his hand gingerly as she heard the monitor beep faintly. His heart was barely beating; she could hardly recognize his bloody face. Breathing tubes protruded from his throat and under his nose. Two IVs hung from his wrist.

So Annabeth found herself in the same situation again.

"Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

That has long been an "anonymous," saying, but Annabeth knew the true author.

Her mother.

And she had failed; she miserably failed. She hadn't learned from her mistakes.

She knew now; she did love Luke.

And even though she had thought she had loved him for a long time, she didn't realize that she truly loved him until he was dead.

Maybe if she had shown her love earlier, he wouldn't have gone.

She knew that he had died thinking she didn't love him.

She stared at Percy's unrecognizable face. The chances that he could hear her were slim.

But she had to try. As a tear rolled down her cheek, she drew near, and planted a faint kiss upon his cracked lips.

"I know...I know you may not be able to hear me, Percy," she began.

"But... I... I want you to know... If you're there..."

She took a deep breath. It was faint, but she could feel it. A little pulse. A little squeeze. His frail hand had gripped hers back.

"I love you," she whispered faintly.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Percy's eyes hazily opened. They were a beautiful, beautiful sea green.

She hadn't learned from history.

It was all Deja vu.

She was watching her best friend die before she could truly express her feelings.

She knew it now; she loved Percy Jackson. She was madly, madly in love with him. Now that he was fading.

Percy gave a faint smile and tried to open his mouth.

He gave a guttural grunt; it wasn't understandable, but Annabeth could tell he understood.

He loved her.

She had known along.

Percy Jackson left the world with a smile on his face as the monitor beeped flat.

* * *

Annabeth drove home with shaky hands.

He was really dead.

It wasn't really her fault he had died; but it was her fault that he hadn't ever experienced true love with her.

All he had wanted to give her was a sweet kiss.

But she couldn't even give him something that simple. She couldn't hang out with him because she had research to do. She couldn't go on a date that day, she was sorry. She had thrown those roses he had bought her in some corner where they had wilted and died. She had never eaten those chocolates. She had never read his failed attempts at love letters.

All he had ever wanted was for her to love him. He hadn't died until he was sure she loved him.

Annabeth Chase had always been called smart. Wise. She was Wise Girl. But right now, she felt very, very stupid.

She was too stupid to recognize her feelings until he was dying.

At least he knew.

Luke would never have that privilege.

She turned on the radio.

"Forever young."

Annabeth wanted to cry.

You should have taken it, Percy.

You should have stayed forever young.

This was a double fail.

Because she had lost Percy before.

Percy had died once, under Mount Saint Helens.

But instead of embracing him as she should have, she had coldly ignored him when fate was kind and he came back.

What kind of strategist was she?

She envisioned kissing Percy's lips again. This time the idea was sweet; kissing her cute, sweet, ever loving boyfriend. Her innocent little boyfriend. Her heroic boyfriend.

Her sweet, cute, innocent, heroic, dead boyfriend.

She noted the yield sign at the intersection.

She and Percy had hated that stupidly placed sign and joked about how someday it would kill someone.

She noted Paul's wrecked Prius beside it.

"Let us die young or live forever."

Well one option was knocked off the board.

She knew now.

She knew what he had done.

And more importantly, she knew what she had to do.

She smiled as she stepped on the accelerator.

"So many songs we forgot to play.

So many dreams floating away."

She passed 100. So many things that they hadn't done. So many things that they could have done.

"I'm coming, Percy."

She raised her voice in a final song as the world rushed by, with a painted smile on her lips.

* * *

The car was wrecked all but for the radio.

And as the police came and hauled the mangled body away from the metal wreckage, they couldn't help but stand in silence for a moment as the music faintly continued.

"Life is a short trip.

Music is for the sad man."

Rain began to pour.

"Forever young.

I'm going to be forever young.

Do you really want to love forever,

And ever,

And ever?"

...

...

...

...

...

Katie Gardner was sobbing, and the whole Aphrodite cabin was in tears. Percy and Annabeth turned on the lights.

"So...What did you think?"

Even Chiron looked disturbed.

"Children...That has to be the best modern adaptation of Pyramus and Thisbe (Roman Romeo and Juliet) I have ever seen."

Annabeth smiled at her handiwork.

She knew making a movie was a good idea.

Percy thought she had been very creative with the script, but deep in her heart, everything she had said had been true.

Except, she had learned from history.

She wasn't going to let Percy suffer the same fate as Luke: she was going to love him and show it. Percy would die knowing that Annabeth Chase loved him.

And she was glad.

**(An...I couldn't just let them die.**

**Sorry that wasn't actually very sad at all. That was totally unplanned: I did it while listening to forever young (the original one NOT Jay-Z.) It's not a songfic, but it reflects the song well. Don't think I am going to make this a chapter story. This is probably just a one shot unless anybody's got ideas. I mean, what more is there to say?)**


End file.
